A Delhi court on Tuesday allowed the police plea seeking time to file an action taken report on a criminal complaint for registering an FIR against AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi for alleged offences of sedition and causing enmity between different groups. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Munish Markan granted time to Delhi Police and directed it to file the report on March 5 next year.

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An official of Karawal Nagar Police Station in northeast Delhi had in October filed a plea in the court saying the sub inspector who was earlier assigned the complaint, has been transferred and another officer has been marked in the matter. The plea had sought some more time for further inquiry in the matter. The court had earlier asked the police to file an action taken report on the complaint filed by Brijesh Chand Shukla of Swaraj Janata Party against All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader.

The complainant had claimed that he was being pressurised to withdraw the matter. He had told the court that in pursuance to its earlier order, he had provided to the police a copy of recording of Owaisi’s alleged objectionable statement and other documents. The police had earlier filed a status report saying the complainant had not provided a copy of recording of Owaisi’s statement made on March 13.

The plea sought a direction to the police to lodge an FIR against Owaisi for alleged offences under sections 124A (sedition) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc) of IPC. It alleged that the act of the Hyderabad MP showed he was “not loyal to India” and was trying to “harm” the country’s reputation and his statement comes under the definition of sedition charge. Shukla, the complainant, had also allegedly thrown ink at Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia outside the Lieutenant Governor’s office.